The World of Kurdra
by Airbender-chan
Summary: Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, Kurogane and Mokona find themselves in a world of knights and dragons. The World of Kurdra! Will they be able to fight against the dragons, and retrieve the feather!Includes crossovers from CCS and Angelic Layer!
1. Arrival

"It's here, is it not?" A voice said.

"Yes, this is where Yukito predicted _they_ would land." A second voice replied. The two voices belonged to two rather small knights, each atop a shining, white horse. The knights' armor covered their bodies entirely, so their physical appearance remained a mystery.

The carrier of the first voice cast his helmeted gaze toward the sky, "Look," he said, alerting the second knight to look up as well.

The knights watched as the sky seemed to droop, contorting every which way until it eventually touched the ground. The sky snapped and shot back towards where it belonged; any that remained disappeared into the ground like water, revealing a group of five odd looking travelers. A sudden shout came from the smallest traveler.

"Pu! We've arrived in the next world!" Mokona announced. He then jumped up into the air, higher than you would have thought possible for the small creature, and landed on a black-haired head, only to be pulled off in a matter of seconds by the owner of that head.

"Do you have to say that every time we show up someplace new?" Kurogane said. To anyone who didn't know the black-clothed ninja it would have sounded more like he had been shouting but, that was just how Kurogane's voice was: loud. Kurogane stared at the white, round creature in his hand for a minute or two before tossing Mokona to one who seemed to be almost the exact opposite of Kurogane.

The blonde laughed a bit when Kurogane threw Mokona at him. He reached out and caught the creature in two hands before setting him on his own head.

"Hyuu Kuro-pon, what would you have done if I hadn't been able to catch him?" Fai asked, flapping his hand at Kurogane. The wizard opened his mouth to say something more, but stopped when he heard a cough coming from behind him.

The five turned around quickly and their eyes fell upon the two knights and their horses. The only remaining boy in the group pulled the only girl close to him; he didn't know if the nights could be trusted, and he didn't want Sakura to get hurt.

"You needn't worry Syaoran-kun. We've been expecting you."


	2. The World of Kurdra

"E-expecting us...?" Syaoran asked as his hold on Sakura loosened a bit.

"Yes, the High Priest Yukito divined it." One of the knights explained, ignoring the looks of surprise on Sakura and Syaoran's faces, "We should probably introduce ourselves." He added.

The two knights lifted the helmets off of their heads, revealing that their young voices matched their looks. Both of them appeared to be twelve years old, and they shared the same feature of average length black hair. Under all the armor they looked a lot alike, except for the fact that the one that had been speaking to them wore thin-rimmed, round glasses and had a key in the shape of a sun dangling from a chain around his neck.

"I am Eriol Hiragizawa, second highest magician in King Toya's court, creator of the princess' body guards, and I am currently serving as a body guard to-"

"Minoru Kokubunji." The second knight finished for Eriol. "I design all the armor the knights in King Toya's army wear." Minoru said, concluding the introductions.

By this point Sakura and Syaoran's heads were spinning.

"Hm. A King Toya and a High Priest Yukito, just like in Clow Country, right Sakura-chan?" Fai asked her, only to receive a nod from the princess.

When Sakura finally found her tongue she said, "I wonder if they look the same." The group pondered this for a few minutes before Eriol interrupted their thoughts.

"Come, the King and High Priest are expecting you, and soon it won't be wise for us to be standing out here in the open." Eriol said the last bit more like an actual fact than an assumption. The magician looked around quickly, his glasses flashed in the light, before he flicked the reins of his horse and trotted to the front of the group, Minoru following close behind.

"Follow us." Eriol said, giving the reins another flick before leading the way across the landscape.

"Be sure to get a good look at the area, for this may be the last time you get to see it without a battle going on." Minoru said. Upon hearing this four of the five looked out at the landscape. A large plain, miles and miles long and wide, stretched out before them. To their left was a thickly settled forest, and to their right, across the plain, was a mountain range. The land bore what appeared to be many battle scars, scorched grass and bloodstained rocks.

Kurogane, however, looked ahead of him at the two knights, "You've told us about yourselves and your royals, but you haven't even told us the name of your country." Kurogane pointed out.

"We didn't?" Eriol asked, not stopping his horse's motion, but he did turn himself to look at the ninja, "My apologies." Eriol said, a light smile resting on his face, "Welcome to the land of Kurdra."


	3. The Castle Guardian

After several hours of walking, the group stood before a large stone castle.

"Wow!" Sakura said, clasping her hands together, "It looks just like something out of a fairy tale!" Syaoran nodded in agreement, it did seem like the things in Clow Country's legends.

"Hyuu! It's so big!" Fai said, "How do we get inside?" He added, placing his hands on his hips. As soon as the words had left Fai's mouth, a voice called down to them.

"You have to say the magic word silly!"

Fai looked up, as well as the rest of them. A girl sat atop the molding of the large door that blocked their entrance to the castle. The girl looked as though she may be 17 or so, had maroon hair, wore a strange looking dress, and had large butterfly wings protruding from her back.

"I see you're doing a good job protecting the castle, Ruby Moon." Eriol said, a sigh escaping his lips. It wasn't a sarcastic statement; she wasn't letting just anyone in...Though she could be a little more professional about it, not that it bothered Eriol that much.

"Eriol-kun!" Ruby Moon cried, "I wondered when you and Minoru-kun would return!" The girl then leaned forward, getting a good look at the new comers. "And these are the people Yukito-kun divined would save us? They all look pretty wimpy to me, Eriol-kun." Ruby Moon said, flapping her hand a bit.

"Why did you have to create such an annoying castle guard?" Minoru asked Eriol, only to receive a small smile from the magician.

"Because it makes things fun." Eriol replied.

Kurogane snorted and looked at Fai, "I think we found you a friend." Kurogane said, a taunting tone in his rough voice.

Fai laughed a bit at that, "You're the only friend for me Kuro-chan!" He said.

"Mokona is Fai's friend too!" Mokona said, dancing a bit on the wizard's shoulder.

"Of course, Mokona too!" Fai chirped. The ninja, by this time, had begun to ignore the both of them.

"Please let us in Ruby Moon." Eriol said, pushing up his glasses a bit to get a better look at the guardian.

"Aww...I wanted to chat with you more. Your new friends seem so fun Eriol-kun." Ruby Moon sighed and lifted her right hand so it rested in the air in front of her. With a flick of her wrist the door swung open as easy as any other door, despite it's large size. "Tell Toya-ku-I mean, King Toya that I say hello!" Ruby Moon called down to the group as they entered the castle.


	4. How Good are you With Swords?

Minoru and Eriol lead the way through the castle, taking them through hallways and up stair cases until they came to the king's meeting room.

"It is here that we leave you." Minoru said, taking hold of the handle on the left hand door.

"But, I am sure that we will meet again." Eriol added with a smile as he took hold of the door on the right. The two knights opened the doors simultaneously, revealing a large circular room that echoed with the sound of their footsteps as the group, minus Minoru and Eriol, entered the room. The two knights shut the doors behind them.

On the far wall was a series of portraits and tapestries, symmetrical on either side of a large window. The windowsill had been converted into a bench, on which King Toya say conversing with High Priest Yukito, who stood opposite him. Their chatter ended when the doors to the room shut and Toya glanced towards the group.

"Eh?" He asked as he stood up. He took a few steps forward and studied the foursome for a moment before turning to Yukito, "This is them?" Toya asked.

"Yes King Toya." Yukito said stepping forward and standing beside his king.

Toya nodded and then spoke to the group, "As I'm sure Eriol and Minoru mentioned, I am Toya, King of Kurdra, and this is Yukito, the high priest." Toya said, "And if his divinations are correct, then you are Sakura, Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane." Toya waited for a confirmation of this from the group before he opened his mouth to continue.

"We know that you are traveling worlds, searching for magical feathers, and we believe we know the location of one." Toya said, his studious eyes scanning the group again.

"You know where one is?" Syaoran asked, over the shock of seeing someone he knew from Clow Country, "Where?" The boy's eyes were filled with a mixture of determination and hope.

It was at this point that Yukito brought out a bowl of water. He set it on the floor and kneeled beside it, instructing everyone to do the same. Yukito held out his left hand over the water. Moments later the water in the bowl rippled and an image appeared in the bowl. The image was of a young woman, maybe of age 30. She held Sakura's feather in her hands, and stared out towards something.

"She doesn't look so tough." Kurogane said, glaring down at the image in the bowl.

"No, but her own abilities are enhanced by that feather. And _she_ may not be tough, but her army is." Toya said.

It was at this point that the image zoomed out to reveal what the woman had been staring at, her army of dragons. The whole group was stunned into silence, but Yukito held up his hand to silence them anyway. The woman in the bowl began to speak.

"Today is the day." The woman began, "We get her back today!" The dragons around her roared and spat fire in approval. "We strike down their walls at noon!"

After they had learned of the woman's plans, Yukito pulled his hand away. The image rippled and then faded away, leaving a bowl of ordinary water. "Sir," Yukito said, "What if they capture her today?" Yukito asked.

"I won't let them take the princess." Toya said, a confident smirk on his face. The king glanced out the window at the sun. "We have two hours." Toya announced. He then looked towards Sakura, "It is against the laws of our country for women to fight in battle. If you will accept, I have another job for you."

"I'm happy to do anything that I can On-I mean King Toya!" Sakura said eagerly.

Toya nodded, "You will be in charge of keeping the princess company, and helping to keep her safe. It's true that she has two body guards, but she would like probably, to have a girl to talk with." Toya said.

"Oh! I'd be honored to do that King Toya." Sakura said, bowing her head a bit.

"Good, then Yukito will escort you there." Toya said, glancing towards Yukito who nodded.

Sakura smiled and looked toward Mokona, "Moko-chan, you should come with me." Sakura said.

"Wayuu! I get to go with Sakura-chan!" Mokona cheered, hopping over to Sakura who held him in her hands. The white creature looked towards Syaoran, "Don't worry Syaoran-kun. Mokona will protect Sakura-chan." Mokona puffed out his chest importantly.

"Thank you Mokona-chan." Syaoran said, a light smile rested upon his face.

Sakura looked towards Syaoran sadly before taking his hands in hers. "Be safe Syaoran-kun." Sakura said, unaware of the blush that crept into the boy's face, "You too Kurogane-san, Fai-san." Sakura smiled, and with Mokona in her arms, trotted after Yukito, leaving through the same door that they had entered.

"As for the rest of you," Toya said, stretching his arms lightly before casting a serious gaze on the three remaining people, "How good are you with swords?"


	5. The Princess and her Guards

Sakura, Mokona and Yukito left the meeting room and walked down the hallway. Soon enough they came upon a tall winding staircase.

"Follow this staircase to the top of the tower." Yukito said, "I would accompany you all the way, but I have other obligations, please forgive me." Yukito smiled lightly, bowed to Sakura and then walked back down the hallway from which they came, before taking a turn and disappearing from Sakura and Mokona's view.

Sakura turned back to the staircase and began to climb up it. As they climbed, Mokona chatted with Sakura about the presence he felt coming from the top of the staircase.

"That Eriol-kun had a strong magical presence, "Mokona said, "Mokona felt it when Mokona met the castle guard, and Mokona feels it now." Mokona looked up at Sakura's face from the spot in her arms.

"Well, Eriol-kun did say he created the princess' guards. That's probably why you feel his presence here." Sakura replied.

By this point the pair had reached the end of the staircase and a door stood before them. Sakura reached out and knocked on the wood, "Um, hello?"

Soon enough, voices could be heard through the wood.

"Can one of you get that?" A girl's voice asked, "I have to finish brushing Hikaru's hair."

"I'm not gettin' it." Another voice said, male this time, "I only have two pieces left and this puzzle will be mine!"

"There are days when I wonder why Eriol-kun created you in the first place." A third voice said, this one was a boy as well, "I'll get the door then."

A few seconds later the door swung back revealing the room and those that were in it. The room was similar in style to the meeting room. The only differences were that this room had a bookshelf, a large bed, and what appeared to be a small toy chest. Sakura looked around the room and then cast her gaze upon the girl. She was clothed in a long pink dress that flowed out at the bottom and she wore a pink, conical hat to compliment it. Her hair was short in brown, except for two long pieces that she kept tied on either side of her head. The girl looked up from the doll she was holding and stared blankly at Sakura for a minute before she smiled.

"So you're Sakura-chan?" The girl asked, she waited for a silent nod from Sakura before she continued, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Misaki Suzuhara!" Misaki finished, bowing her head slightly.

"It's nice to meet you too." Sakura said before she walked into the room, "I heard two other voices from outside the door and-"

"One of those would have been me." A voice from behind cut her off. A small creature shut the door that lead to the room and flew around Sakura before landing down beside Misaki. He looked a lot like a small black cat, only with a few key differences; he had a corkscrew tail and butterfly wings, "I am Spinel Sun."

A similar creature flew up from behind the bed and sat on the opposite side of Misaki. This one was orange, had a fluffy tail and had white wings. "I am Keroberos the magnificent!" He said, "We're the body guards of Princess Misaki."

"You don't need to call them that though. Their nicknames are Suppie-chan and Kero-chan, and you can call me Misakichi if you want." Misaki said with a small smile.

"Alright, Misakichi!" Sakura replied, surprised to see that these two creatures were Misaki's body guards. "Oh!" Sakura said, walking to the bed and setting Mokona down, "This is Mokona!"

"Sakura-chan calls me Moko-chan though!" Mokona chirped.

Once the introductions were done, each set about their own business. Misaki soon walked over to the toy chest and pulled out a white doll, she set it down in front of Sakura and placed a similar one with freshly brushed pink hair beside it.

"Do you want to play with Hikaru and Athena?" Misaki asked, "Athena used to be my mom's but she gave it to me."

"Your mother was the former queen of Kurdra, right?" Sakura asked, looking from the two dolls to where Mokona, Suppie and Kero solved a puzzle on the floor.

Misaki shook her head, "No, I'm not related to the king." Misaki said with a sigh, "King Toya adopted me when the war with the dragons started."


	6. Two Knights and an Archer

_"How good are you with swords?"_

The question made Kurogane laugh. He moved his cloak to the side revealing his sword to Toya.

"I've been using swords since I was a kid." He said with a smirk, "And I've been teaching him." He added pointing his thumb towards Syaoran.

"Good." Toya said before he realized that Fai hadn't said anything. He looked towards the wizard, who caught his gaze and shrugged.

"I've never used one." Fai said with a laugh, "I'm afraid that I won't be of much use to you in that department."

Toya frowned in thought for a moment, "Have you ever used any other sort of weapon?" He asked.

"Well..." Fai began, tapping his index finger against his chin, "I've used...staff-like things, and a bow and arrow."

"Archer it is then!" Toya decided, he looked back at Kurogane and Syaoran, "And you two shall be knights in my army. I hope your skills live up to my expectations." Toya walked to the doors to the room and he swung them both open easily and walked into the hallway, motioning for the boys to follow him.

"You two, Syaoran-kun and Kurogane-san, will need to be fitted for armor." Toya said as he led them through the castle, "And seeing as you both already have swords, that leaves us to find you a bow and arrow." Toya finished looking toward Fai.

Soon the foursome arrived at a strong looking doorway, the door made of hard wood and reinforced with iron.

"Go in here. The people inside will help you out." Toya said bowing, and then walking down the hall and out of sight.

Fai tilted his head at the door and looked at Kurogane, "Care to do the honors Kuro-puu?" He asked with a laugh.

"It's Kurogane. Ku-ro-ga-ne!" Kurogane grumbled, glaring at the wizard. Nevertheless he reached out and pulled open the door. The people inside stopped what they were doing and looked out at the three men.

"Ah. I thought we'd be seeing each other again." Eriol said, flashing them one of his ever-mysterious smiles.


	7. Suits of Armor

When it was made clear that Eriol seemed to know the three strangers at the door, the hustle and bustle resumed.

"King Toya sent Kurogane-san and I down to get fitted for armor, and Fai is to be given a bow and arrow to fight with." Syaoran explained to Eriol, who nodded.

"Minoru!" Eriol called, looking to the back of the room. Minoru looked up from the suit of armor he was creating, banging the metal with a hammer, "Yes?"

"We need two suits of armor, one for Kurogane-san and one for Syaoran-san." Eriol said, adjusting his glasses so that they rested up higher on his nose.

Minoru smiled and walked over to the group, "If you two will follow me, I think I have just the thing for both of you." Minoru said, turning and leading Kurogane and Syaoran to the back of the room.

Eriol then turned back to Fai, who appeared to be studying Eriol, the key hanging around his neck in particular. Eriol smiled softly, and his suspicions about the blonde had been answered in that quick glance. "You are to become an archer, correct?"

"Yes," Fai said, "I'm not that good with a sword so-what are you doing?" Fai watched as Eriol had walked away from him and to the weaponry wall. He would pick up a bow at random, shake his head, and put the bow back. Finally he came to a long, white bow with a blue hand-grip. Eriol held it in his hands for a minute before he nodded, "This will be your weapon." He said, tossing the bow to Fai, who caught it and instantaneously decided that if he were to fight with a weapon, there could be no better one. Fai looked up from admiring his weapon just in time to realize a quiver holding a good amount of arrows was tossed to him; he caught that as well.

"You are very quick thinking, Fai-san. That's a skill that's needed for all wizards...Don't you agree?" Eriol said, lowering his voice so that only Fai could hear, "To avoid attacks, to hold up a marvelous defensive...many magical skills require quick thinking."

The way Eriol looked at him, and brought up the subject so suddenly caused Fai to falter. He hadn't told anyone here that he was a wizard; knowing that he would be expected to use magic...and that would cause him to explain too much.

Eriol laughed a bit, "Your magical aura pours off of you, and it's hard to ignore it. I think that you'd even be able to best Yukito-san." Eriol said, "And you did seem to be drawn to my necklace, it's the source of my magic." Eriol lifted the chain around his neck and held it so that the sun key dangled between them.

"Ah. So I suppose I gave myself away to you without knowing then," Fai said. A small smile rested on his lips as he continued, "But, I am currently unwilling to use my magic."

Eriol nodded, "I see. Well, seeing that this seems to be an uncomfortable conversation for you, I will not press the matter further." He said.

A quick sigh of relief escaped Fai's lips. He opened his mouth to say something more to Eriol when an obnoxious clattering was heard, followed by a string of equally loud swears. Fai stood on tip-toe to get a look over the crowd that had gathered around the source of the noise, and he broke out in cheerful laughter at what he saw. Kurogane, wearing a large metal suit, had apparently tried to walk and had fallen over. Syaoran, who had seemed to be able to move around quite nicely in his armor, looked panic stricken and he, Minor and a few others began to help the ninja to his feet, and not doing a particularly good job at it.

Although there was currently a lot of noise in the room, Fai made sure his voice was heard, "Hyuu! Did the Big Puppy forget to walk _again_?" He called out.

Kurogane growled, and within seconds he was off the floor and had a sword under Fai's chin. The room went silent.

"How many times...am I going to have to tell you? Quit it with the nicknames, _especially that one!_" Kurogane hissed his voice low and dangerous.

Fai, obviously feeling unthreatened, despite the sword being inches away from killing him, said, "Aw, Kuro-tan's so mean! I get you up off the floor in mere moments and the thanks I receive is a death threat?" Fai whined, though he was smirking.

Kurogane blinked out of confusion, wondering if that was really what Fai had been meaning to do. The ninja lowered his sword and sheathed it. "Idiot," He growled.

Fai patted Kurogane on his metal guarded shoulder, making a sort of hollow, thunk sound, "You're welcome." Fai chirped.

Syaoran and Minoru appeared from the crowd that was dispersing back to their previous positions and stood beside Fai, Eriol, and Kurogane. Minor held a set of clothing out to Fai, "Your archers uniform," Minoru explained, "There's a room in back where you can change." He added.

Fai took the clothing and nodded, "Syaoran-kun, make sure that Kuro-rin doesn't fall over again." Fai laughed and then sauntered to the back room, returning wearing black pants and boots, and a white folded top with blue along the edges; he also had on thick brown gloves to protect him from hurting himself with his own arrows.

"Wait. We have to wear these uncomfortable metal suits, and _he _gets to wear normal clothing?" Kurogane grumbled.

Minoru sighed and shook his head, "It seems we're going to need to explain." Minoru looked toward Eriol, who pulled off his necklace and held it before him.

"Key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me. I, Eriol, command you under our contract. Release!" A glowing magic circle appeared beneath Eriol and the sun key transformed into a shining, gold sun staff.

"What the hell are you going to do with that?" Kurogane asked annoyance and nervousness creeping into his voice.

"I'm going to explain to you about Minoru's suits." Eriol said, holding his staff rather elegantly. "You see, because Minoru hand makes each suit, they are built to enhance your own natural abilities." Eriol paused, "You're good with quick defensive moves, and rough offensive moves." Eriol raised the staff up and it transformed into a sword, which he immediately swung at the ninja, at a force one would not expect from one so small.

Kurogane acted quickly and pulled out his sword and swung at Eriol's, blocking the attack. He moved as though he wasn't wearing a suit of armor at all.

"You see?" Eriol asked, pulling his sword away, "Do not block this one, this is another part of the demonstration." Eriol swung at Kurogane again, and the sword hit the metal and bounced off, causing the sword and suit to vibrate with the force from the impact, but other than that, Kurogane was left unharmed. "Nigh unbreakable." Eriol explained as he transformed the sword back into a staff. He then shot a large amount of flame at Kurogane's leg, "It does not get hot under flame, which is useful when fighting a war against dragons." Eriol put his staff back into its more convenient key form and latched it around his neck.

"Syaoran-san's suit is designed to help him wield a sword as well as perform his offensive kicks, and Fai's uniform is designed in flexibility, for dodging, and it is flame retardant also." Minoru explained. The group looked from one person to the next, and decided that Minoru created fine armor.

"The time is now!" A voice called through the door, which then banged open ungracefully, revealing Toya in a suit of armor, holding a thick sword, and Yukito in an archer's uniform, holding a long bow.

"Archers will follow me to the castle roof, and knights will follow King Toya to the battle front." Yukito said.

Fai, Kurogane, and Syaoran exchanged glances before following their respective leaders. Fai, following Yukito and a large amount of archers out of the room and up a set of stairs; Kurogane and Syaoran followed Toya and the knights out a back door and out toward the battle field.


	8. The Capture of the Princesses

The archers climbed their way to the top of the castle and exited through a trapdoor onto the roof. Those who seemed to be of higher rank ordered the lower ranks to positions around the roof. Fai took his spot at the edge of the castle and he leaned against the guard rail, taking in his surroundings.

Above him there was nothing but the sky, but Fai could sense an invisible, magical shield there; that would protect them from aerial attacks. Below him there were lower roofs and ledges, each one lined with archers and protected magically as well. It seemed that Yukito really was very strong to protect so many archers in such a fashion.

When the wizard looked down at the field he saw the thousands of soldiers amassed there, a lot were on horseback though most were on foot. Some of them must have come from neighboring villages because there definitely weren't that many people in the weaponry room before.

There was one last thing that Fai looked for before he readied himself for battle by stringing an arrow to his bow, and that was the sun. The attack was to come at noon, and that would mean the sun would be at the center of the sky.

No sooner did Fai find the sun, did a large flying beast block it from view, plummeting the area into shadow. It was a marvelous creature. It had great, flapping wings and was probably as tall as the castle from head to tail.

The dragon roared and spewed flame from his mouth, and at that point the wizard cast his gaze toward the horizon, where similar creatures began assembling, some flying and those that couldn't fly ran, all of them coming towards the human army.

"On my signal!" A voice cried out, pulling Fai out of his thoughts. He quickly found that it was Yukito. He stood atop a watch tower that was assembled in the center of the roof, and had ropes dangling from the side of it to climb up or down. "Now!"

Fai and the other archers aimed and released their first arrows. Most hit the intended targets, but they didn't pierce the skin and instead bounced off of strong scales. A few arrows were lucky enough to wound the creatures, though one arrow wouldn't bring down a dragon.

Fai grimaced as he strung another arrow and shot it into the air.

---

Before the knights had a chance to think, the ground dragons were upon them, and the battle had begun. The smell of singeing grass and fresh blood permeated the air, and Kurogane stared at the dragons that were coming towards him and Syaoran.

"Tch. More like overgrown lizards than dragons." Kurogane grunted, an excited smirk played across the usually stoic face.

"I suppose we've seen worse," Syaoran said, a small smile on his face, "Though, these dragons do seem tough." Tough was probably an understatement though, the clanging of metal and shouts of men around them proved that.

"True, but we won't die here." Kurogane pulled his sword out and held it in a battle ready stance; Syaoran took that as his cue to do the same.

"Right." The boy replied, and the two spring into action, charging at the dragons and quickly taking out the first two on their path before they continued.

---

"King Toya adopted you?" Sakura asked Misaki curiously, both of them unaware of the bloodshed occurring outside.

Misaki nodded, "I don't remember much, but I'll tell you what I do remember."

"It was a long time ago, when I was three, that the dragons attacked my village. One of the villagers purposely destroyed their nesting area a few miles south of the village, and that got the dragons angry. Normally relations between people and the dragons were good, unless one did something to upset the other, which is exactly what happened. They attacked my village, and we couldn't do anything about it. We only had the occasional sword or spear to attack with, and there was only one magician in the village, my mom, but she couldn't do anything to help. He magic allows her to enter the minds of other beings, and control what they did. Even though it sounds like it could be used evilly, my mom only used it to help people. The dragons, however, wouldn't let my mother enter their minds, and the entire village was destroyed.

"The survivors left, each heading to a village where they had relatives, or where they had people that would help them. Mom and I didn't know anyone, and so she brought me here, though she left me when the castle was in sight.

"'Go to that castle, and ask to stay there. You'll be safe.' She said to me. I asked her where she was going and she said, 'My skills need to be sharpened. I am going to train, and when I am stronger I'll come back for you.' I haven't seen her since then, but I know that she'll come back for me some day." Misaki finished, her eyes brimming with tears.

Sakura listened to the story quietly, and by the end she was sad as well. She reached out and wrapped the younger girl in an embrace.

---

Things weren't going too well for the archers.

Yukito's magic was beginning to falter after repeated attacks on the shield and with that came weak spots in the shield. If that kept up, the whole shield would disappear.

Their arrows had only managed to take out one dragon, and they were desperately trying to kill one of the remaining three dragons when the largest one charged at the shield and broke through it. The magic was pulled away from it's carrier, and Yukito fell unconscious to the floor of the watch tower.

Fai had felt the rush of magic as it was pulled away and he quickly turned around and gazed up at the sky. As he watched, he noticed how nature was indifferent to the battle going on around them. The sky sparkled a vibrant blue and the sun shone bright, now at a lower point in the sky compared to where it had been at the start of the battle. The wizard then cast his gaze back to the three dragons. They hovered together in the air before simultaneously diving down and crashing through the stone that made up the roof. Fai gripped the wall for support, and was glad he had because those that hadn't had fallen off the roof and plummeted toward the ground. The blonde didn't want to think about what sort of fat would meet them, so he focused on the scene before him.

He heard two high pitched screams and then watched in horror as the largest dragon pulled itself from the hole in the castle, holding two small girls in it's claws. One ha had to assume was the castle princess, the other was undoubtedly Sakura.

The dragon flew up into the sky, leading the two others with it, though they disbanded shortly. Two catlike creatures charged from the hole, flying after the dragons, unleashing relentless but futile attacks on the dragons.

"Fai!" A familiar voice cried. Mokona jumped up from the hole and buried himself in the fold of Fai's shirt. "They're getting away with Sakura and Misakichi!"

Fai quickly glanced around. He had to help them; he couldn't just stand around like an idiot. The mage's eyes locked on the rope from the watch tower, and a confident smile spread across his face.

"Don't worry, Mokona. I have an idea."


	9. Are You Crazy?

Fai wasted no time in putting his idea into action, if he did, it would have been too late. He ran to the watch tower, snatched the rope and pulled it down. He tied one end around his right wrist, and the other around an arrow. He worked with such a look of serious determination on his face that none of the other archers questioned his actions that is, until he strung the arrow.

"What are you doing!"

"Are you crazy!"

"Some have called me that," Came Fai's reply, "Hold on, Mokona." The little creature buried itself deeper into Fai's shirt, and the mage then aimed and shot the arrow.

It whistled through the air, and Fai was beginning to think that the rope wasn't going to reach, when the tail flicked back, causing the arrow to hit it. There were two spikes on the tail, and the arrow had hit the one furthest away, ricocheted off of that and wrapped around the second spike, forming a rather clever knot.

Fai then placed his bow on his left arm and grabbed the rope, bracing his left arm and grabbed the rope, bracing himself for the pull, which came all too hard, and Fai prayed that his arms wouldn't be pulled off.

Despite the angry shouts from the archers, Fai was pulled off the remains of the castle roof, and dragged through the air. He ignored the growing pain in his arms and the rope cutting through his gloves. He had to make sure that Sakura stayed safe. He couldn't live with himself if she got hurt and he could have prevented it.

---

Kurogane had just annihilated another dragon when he heard the crash from the castle.

"Hime!" Syaoran shouted, his eyes wide when he saw the dragon escaping with Sakura and Kurdra's princess. He watched the two flying cats try to fight the dragon, but that was like a mosquito to a human: annoying but not much you can do about it. Syaoran's eyes then caught sight of a blonde-haired man at the edge of the roof.

"Dammit!" Kurogane cures, "What the hell is he doing!" The ninja's loud voice caused others to turn and watch Fai, even the dragons watched, that is until Fai had been pulled off the roof and was flying through the air on the end of a rope. That was when hell broke loose again. The dragons attacked again, and Kurogane and Syaoran tore their eyes from their companions only to defeat a pair of dragons that had descended on them.

Syaoran looked up from his dragon to see that Kurogane was gone, "Kurogane-san!" He shouted worriedly until he felt someone on horseback grab him by the arm and pull him onto the still moving horse.

"Hold on." Kurogane growled, and Syaoran obliged easily as the two of them darted after Fai, Sakura and the dragons. "Damn wizard. We had enough to worry about with the princess but he had to go and recklessly throw himself into the mix!" Kurogane continued on like that as they charged forth, Shouhei cutting down any foe that got in the way.

"Kurogane-san!" Syaoran shouted.

"Now's really not the time kid," came the annoyed reply.

"No! Look!" Syaoran pointed up, and the ninja couldn't help but gasp at what he saw.


	10. Aerial Acrobatics

Ok, So this chapter's causing me greif. I have to keep reuploading it because of annoying errors I find, missing question marks and apostrophes. Sorry if this is beginning to annoy you. 

---

"Ready, Mokona?" Fai shouted over the wind.

"Ready!" The muffled reply came from his shirt.

The wizard had been watching the tail, and saw that it moved every ten seconds, and that if he moved with the swing, instead of being dragged along, he could create enough force to swing himself up onto the tail of the dragon. It looked big enough to stand on, and from there he would run to the middle of the dragons back, and hold on for his life.

"9...10!" Fai shouted. Sure enough the tail flicked, and Fai pushed himself forward with it. Because of his added force to the swing he flew upward and soon was above the tail. He reached out with both hands and caught hold of a spike, stopping his momentum. He pulled himself up onto the tail, and then got into a standing position of sorts.

"Hurry, Fai! It's going to move soon and Mokona thinks that Dragon-san knows we're here!" Mokona shouted, looking up at Fai from it's spot in his shirt.

"I'm trying, but the knot's stuck!" Fai replied, an edge crept into is voice as his free hand worked frantically at the knot. Mokona pulled himself from Fai's shirt and untied the knot within seconds.

Fai then wasted no time in running up the tail and onto the dragon's back where he sat quickly, lodging himself between two spikes that ran down his back, and holding tightly to the one in front of him.

"One of Mokona's 108 secret techniques!" Mokona chirped, "Super knot untying!" He was again confined in the recesses of Fai's shirt. The mage emitted a laugh before observing the damage done to him. His bow, still in the crook of his elbow, seemed to be in tact, which was good. His eyes then moved down to his hand where a red mark angled across his palm, the rope had cut through the gloves on both hands actually and if the left hand was bad then the right hand was worse. There was a similar mark on his palm, as well as one around his wrist, which was ten times worse considering it had taken the brunt of the force.

"Hyuu...that's going to hurt soon." The wizard remarked to himself. He soon tore his gaze from his throbbing hands to the head of the creature. Never in all his years did he ever think he would fly on a dragon, and he couldn't just let the opportunity pass by without one single good thing about it. He raised his hands up into the air and let out a whoop of exhilaration. He laughed brightly, and just as the dragon turned in the air to throw off the wizard, he latched his hands back onto the spike before him, regretting doing it as quickly because pain seared up his arms. He winced and then cast his gaze to the side and saw one of the cat creatures, a large orange one, staring back at him. He turned his face to the other side and noticed the black one looking at him. He realized that they both gave off Eriol's aura.

"What do you think you're doing!" They both yelled simultaneously.

"I think I'm riding a dragon, though I may be mistaken." Fai said with a grin. These two creatures had to have been created by Eriol; they would mean him no harm.

"This is no time to be smart with us." The black one replied, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I was thinking I might try and save the princesses, but I can't do much until the dragon lands right?" Fai replied simply.

The two creatures stared at each other, wondering why a random archer would go so far to help.

"Sakura-chan means a lot to a friend of mine, and I couldn't sit idly by while they were both dragged off like this." Fai said, explaining his actions.

"Fai is traveling with Mokona and Sakura!" Mokona chirped, though he stayed safe in Fai's shirt.

They both raised an eyebrow at the voice and realized that it had come from inside the archer's shirt. They then grinned and nodded.

"Right, we'll guard your sides for the time. I'm Keroberos and he's Spinel Sun by the way." Keroberos said, "It looks like it'll just be the four of us then."

"Six actually," Fai commented with a grin, "Look down, they shouldn't be far behind."

Spinel and Kero looked down at the ground. They had long since left the battle field, so it seemed odd when they spotted two knights on horseback.

"We'll be back." Spinel said, and both of them sped to the ground.

---

"He is the most goddamn reckless person I've ever met." Kurogane growled as he tried to make the tired horse go faster.

"He may be reckless, but that was still amazing." Syaoran said, looking around the landscape.

"Kurogane grunted in reply. It was true that the stunning display of aerial acrobatics had even left him breathless, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit that.

"Oi!" The voice came from above and Kurogane and Syaoran looked up to see the two catlike creatures from before flying towards them, and soon enough they were flying along side of them.

"You know the blonde and Mokona, Right?" The black one asked.

"Unfortunately," Kurogane replied.

"Hop on!"

The two wasted no time in jumping from horse to guardian beast and they were soon flying up to the dragons. Syaoran sat atop the orange one and Kurogane on the black.

"Name's Keroberos by the way." Kero shouted to the young boy on his back.

"Syaoran!" Came the reply.

Kurogane and Spinel exchanged a similar introduction and within seconds they were flying alongside the dragon, back where Fai had perched himself. The wizard greeted them with a smile, "Syaoran-kun, Kuro-pon, good to see you're alright!" Fai shouted to them.

"Dammit Fai!" We were already worried about the princess, and you go and shoot yourself off a castle!" Kurogane shouted, not only because of the wind but because he was furious, "Are you crazy?"

Fai merrily laughed off the shouting and said, "Some have called me that."


	11. Misaki's Mother

Keroberos, Spinel Sun, and Fai tried many times to get the wizard off the creature, to no avail, so everyone stayed where they were. Mokona was nestled inside Fai's shirt, Fai sat on the dragon's back, holding the spike in front of him, Syaoran and Keroberos flew off to the left, and Spinel Sun and Kurogane to the right. It seemed that the dragon had given up on trying to throw off Fai, and continued onward.

It took several hours for the dragon to land, and when it did a woman and two small dragons came out to greet it. The group recognized the woman as the girl they saw in the water before, in Toya and Yukito's meeting room. The two dragons must have been servants of some kind because they took the princesses carefully onto the strange saddles on their backs and carried them inside what appeared to be a cave. The princesses appeared to be unconscious, and unharmed, thankfully.

"It seems that several others have followed you here...no?" The woman asked before peering around each side of the dragon to see Kurogane, Spinel Sun, Syaoran, Keroberos and Fai. When the woman made it clear that she had seen them, Syaoran and Kurogane were off. Both of them jumped from the guardians and within the blink of an eye had swords pointed at the woman.

"Where did they take the princesses?" Syaoran asked his voice solid and unwavering.

The woman tensed when the swords were pointed at her. She looked toward the large dragon and said, "You may leave, I can handle this."

The dragon glared at Kurogane and Syaoran for a moment before he craned his long neck around to look at Fai, who grinned and waved at the creature. The dragon leaned back and hooked a tooth through the back of Fai's shirt, lifting him up and then dropping him to the ground. The beast snorted and then took off to the sky. Fai stood and dusted himself off before casting his gaze upon the scene before him.

"Please," The woman said, "My name is Shuuko, and I mean no harm to the princesses." The woman bowed her head and waited for a response of some kind.

"If you mean no harm to them, then why did you send an army of dragons to kidnap Kurdra's princess?" Syaoran asked, not moving his sword from his spot.

"Because, I am Princess Misaki's mother." Shuuko answered.


	12. A Feather is Found

"You're the princess's mother?" Syaoran asked, lowering his sword; Kurogane did the same, "Then why don't you live at the castle?"

"It's a long story really. Please join me inside, and I'll explain." Shuuko then turned and walked into the cave. The group followed, Kurogane and Syaoran leading the way, Fai in the middle, carrying Mokona, and Keroberos and Spinel Sun bringing up the rear.

They followed a single path for a while and then watched as it opened up into a huge underground city. They traversed a bridge above the city, and had they looked down, they would have noticed that it was inhabited by dragons. The dragons were in all shapes and sizes, some flying through the air, others walking along the ground like lizards, going through what must have been daily life for the dragons.

Soon enough they entered an intimate room with a small table and several chairs. The room seemed to be furnished with mostly deep colors, such as red and brown.

"Please sit." Shuuko said, taking a seat herself. The guardians sat on the floor, and the rest sat in chairs. They all looked expectantly towards Shuuko. Once everyone was settled in, Shuuko began to tell her story.

"It was about seven years ago when I left Misaki at the castle. Our village had been destroyed by dragons, and I knew that she would be safe under King Toya's care. I would have taken her with me, but the place I was going was far too dangerous for one so young. I was going to the dragon territory, to learn more about the creatures and enhance my own magical skill in the process.

"The dragons accepted me in, and I learned everything about them. They eventually even allowed me to enter their mind, that's the magic I specialize in. While traveling with the dragons I came upon a magical object that enhanced my power greatly. With my new found strength, and trust from the dragons, I decided it would be a good time to get my daughter back. However, I was not allowed out of dragon territory. The people of Kurdra had learned about me, and told tales saying that I was one of the most fearsome women in the country because I associated with dragons.

"It was at this point that the dragons suggested that we amass an army, and retrieve my daughter. I agreed, it was the only option left. The dragons said that they would only attack those that attacked them first, destroy very little, and refrain from killing; which they have done, correct?"

Kurogane, Syaoran and Fai reviewed these facts in their minds, it was true. The dragons were attacked by the people first and the only thing they destroyed was the castle roof. As for deaths, they were currently unaware. Her facts checked out, and they nodded.

"I just wanted my daughter returned to me, and now that she has been, all this nonsense can stop. I have already called off my armies, and they're on their way back as we speak." Shuuko finished.

"Yeah, but how are you going to explain this to the King?" Kurogane asked raising an eyebrow. King Toya was still back at the battle field, probably planning a way to get back the princesses and find out where one archer and two knights disappeared to.

"Oh...Oh my, I hadn't thought of that." Shuuko laughed nervously, "I suppose I'll worry about that when the princesses wake up."

"Shuuko-san," Syaoran said, "You mentioned that you came upon a magical item of sorts that increased your own abilities. Did this happen to be a feather?"

Shuuko blinked in surprise, "Why yes." She said, getting to her feet and walking to a closet. She then pulled out a glowing orb, at which Mokona's eyes widened and a "Mekyou!" escaped from his lips.

Shuuko brought the feather over to the group, and handed it to Syaoran. "It belongs to your princess, right?" Shuuko smiled brightly.

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Syaoran said, bowing his head, before he took the feather and held it close to him.

Once they were done with the business about the feather, Spinel Sun spoke up. "I think I have a way to sort out your problem with the king."


	13. A War for the History Books

"Oh, you do?" Shuuko asked, clasping her hands together and crouching down on the floor beside Spinel Sun.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure." Spinel Sun then looked from Shuuko to Keroberos. Keroberos nodded and then the two guardians placed their front paws together, and a large magic circle glowed beneath them. The group of people watched in awe, wondering what they were doing.

---

"Yuki!" Toya shouted as he climbed the stairs to the castle roof, his highest ranking knights following him, Eriol and Minoru. The king burst through the door at the top of the stairs and stared at the destruction of the roof. There was a large hole in the roof, and dislodged stones from the walls everywhere. Many of the archers were slumped against the wall, tired, and the rest were working to remove stones from the princess's room.

The king walked briskly out onto the roof, ignoring the bows he received from the archers as he walked to the watch tower and climbed quickly up it. He pulled himself into the tower and looked down upon the unconscious face of his friend.

"Yuki. Oi, Yuki." Toya said, kneeling down beside him and placing a gentle hand on his face.

The mage's eyes fluttered and opened halfway, and he cast his tired gaze upon Toya, "Toya-o." Yukito said softly, a small smile on his face.

Toya cringed a bit at the keigo, but knew that meant that Yukito was ok, he always needed to be reminded not to use it when it was just the two of them.

Yukito then seemed to realize what had happened and he pushed himself up to a sitting position before rising completely to his feet and walking to the edge of the watch tower. He took in a sharp breath at the destruction around him, and more-so at the room just beneath the hole in the roof. He cast his gaze quickly to Toya and the king nodded, his face downcast.

"Are they both missing?" Yukito asked.

"Yes, as well as Keroberos, Spinel Sun and the other travelers that came." Toya said briefly. He would give Yukito a full recap of the battle when there was time.

"I'm sorry, Toya." Yukito said, "I tried to keep the shield up around us all." The high priest clutched at his shirt for a minute.

"It's not your fault," Toya began, but was interrupted by a call from Minoru below.

"Toya-o!" Minoru called, "its Eriol-kun!" The boy pointed to the young magician.

Eriol's eyes appeared to be glazed over, and a magic circle glowed beneath his hovering feet. He reached up and grabbed the key around his neck, transforming it into the staff. He held the staff out before him and showed it to Toya.

"Toya-o," Eriol spoke, "Keroberos and Spinel Sun wish to speak with you." At those words, the center of his staff flickered and rippled, revealing the images of the two guardians, and four other people in the background.

Toya peered down at the staff before jumping from the watchtower and looking at the staff expectantly. "Yes?"

"Yo!" Keroberos said a grin on his face until he was shoved out of the way by Spinel Sun, and a disgruntled "hey!" came from out of view.

"Please excuse him, Sire." Spinel Sun said, bowing before the king, "But, we have news about the princesses' whereabouts, and their captor...and believe it or not, it is actually quite the little misunderstanding."

"A little misunderstanding?" Toya said, crossing his arms across his chest, "What kind of misunderstanding creates a kidnapping and a war for the history books?" The king growled looking at Spinel Sun.

"You know...this would be easier to explain if you were here." Spinel Sun said. The creature then cast its gaze up to Yukito, "Are you feeling well enough, High Priest, to do a bit of a transport spell?"

Yukito nodded his head and he climbed gingerly down from the watchtower and he stood beside Toya. "I believe I am." He said. The priest then held up a hand to the staff before nodding his head. "Good, now I know where you are. I will be transporting four there, so clear a spot for us, Spinel Sun." The guardian nodded before disappearing off of the staff. The magic circle beneath Eriol disappeared and the wizard stood on the floor, blinking slightly.

Yukito summoned a tall staff, which he held high above his head in both hands. The wind around them picked up, and a magic circle glowed beneath Eriol, Toya, Minoru and Yukito. The mage's grip on the staff tightened and he turned it sideways, the wind enveloped them and they disappeared from the castle roof.


	14. Reunion

Spinel Sun cast his gaze from the nothingness he'd been looking into, and he turned to look at the humans behind him, "They're going to come here." Spinel Sun said. The words had just left his mouth when an unnatural wind picked up and four new people appeared in the room.

Yukito stumbled a bit after using up the little amount of regained power so soon, and was surprised to find a strong arm holding him up. He smiled up at his king before making the staff disappear. The new group looked around at Kurogane, Syaoran and Fai, acknowledging their presence before casting their gaze on the woman, who threw herself into a quick bow.

"Please excuse my actions." Shuuko said, "I will explain everything, and I hope that you will accept my apologies." Shuuko then offered the new four seats in the room, and then sat down herself; recounting the story she had just told Syaoran, Kurogane and Fai.

Toya listened intently, and found her story to be believable. It checked out with all the things he remembered, Misaki arriving so strangely at the castle, reports of a said, "dragon-woman," attempting to enter human territory. All the facts fit in.

"And where are you keeping Misaki and Sakura-chan now?" Toya asked.

"Don't worry, they are safe." Shuuko responded, "They're in the guest quarters here, they're asleep still. I truly am sorry for the destruction and trouble that I caused." She added, bowing her head again.

Toya shook his head, "I understand. It was the only option left for you."

"As for the destruction that was caused, when Yukito is back to his full potential, fixing that will be a simple matter between the two of us." Eriol added in, a friendly smile on his face as he looked toward the high priest. He then looked toward Shuuko before continuing, "And as for deaths, there was a very small fatality count, as I'm sure you will be pleased to know."

Shuuko sighed lightly, "That is a good thing, though I would have preferred that there were no deaths."

"We all would have preferred that." Minoru added in, bowing his head in respect for his fallen comrades.

After a few minutes of silence a small dragon entered. This one had shining blue scales, and was about the height of Syaoran. It looked at Shuuko for a minute and then the woman nodded. Her face brightened and she looked toward Syaoran, "The princesses have awakened. I will take you to them." Shuuko smiled and then stood to her feet, walking out of the room, motioning for the others to follow. Syaoran wasted no time in getting up, anxious to see Sakura. Fai and Kurogane followed, Eriol and Minoru after that, Keroberos and Spinel Sun trotting along side of them. Toya and Yukito were the last to leave the room.

---

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura called when the group entered the room. The princess jumped from the bed she was resting on and threw her arms around Syaoran. "I was so scared for you!" She said.

Syaoran blushed lightly, "I was worried about you too, hime." Syaoran said lightly, "Are you ok?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine." Sakura said, taking a step back. "Everything was explained to us while we were waiting for you to come here. I really was worried for you Syaoran-kun." She added, taking his hands lightly.

Fai laughed brightly and tapped his pointer fingers together, "Achichi!" Fai said in a sing-song voice, causing both Sakura and Syaoran to blush a bit.

"Mom!" Misaki cried as soon as she saw her mother. She jumped up and wrapped her mother in a tight embrace. "Mom!"

"Misaki." Shuuko said, holding her daughter tight to her. "It's been such a long time."

"Aww, such a nice reunion." Mokona chirped, "Mokona wants a hug too!" He added, bouncing up and down in his spot in Fai's hands.

"Hime, Shuuko-san gave us your feather." Syaoran said suddenly, and everyone turned to look as he offered the feather out to the princess.

"Ah. Thank you, Shuuko-san." Sakura said bowing, but nothing came from her lips after that as the feather was absorbed into her body. She passed out and fell into Syaoran's arms.

"You all must be tired." Shuuko said as Sakura fell into sleep again, "Why don't you all rest here, and worry about other things tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea." Minoru said, the rest of them had to agree. They were all exhausted from the fight and the travel, and as soon as their beds were ready it took almost no time at all for them to fall fast asleep.

---

The next morning it had been decided that Shuuko would go to live in the castle with Misaki, and she would leave occasionally to check on the wellbeing of the dragons. Yukito, back to his full power, and Eriol combined their powers and healed any wounded dragons before heading back to the castle where they used their magic to rebuild to roof and heal their own wounded, before they retired for the day with a good meal and rest. Kurogane and Syaoran returned their armor, and thanked Minoru for creating it for them, and Fai returned his bow and quiver, though it was now devoid of arrows.

Before they knew it, the group was standing on the newly rebuilt castle roof, looking back at their new found friends and standing in the traditional garb from their home worlds.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all." Shuuko said, smiling brightly at the group, "And I wish you the best of luck on your journey."

Similar goodbyes were said from the rest of the people they had met during the past days, and soon enough Mokona decided it was time to go. The white being jumped up into the air, spread it's wings wide and pulled Kurogane, Syaoran, Fai and Sakura into his mouth before disappearing himself, whisking them off to another world.

--------------------

It's over! I hope that everyone enjoyed reading it! My first TRC fanfic ever, and I have to say that I'm rather pleased with how it came out. Some parts were a little choppy, but I think I wrapped it all up nicely. I am planning to write another TRC fanfic, though it's going to crossover with Avatar...trying to figure out how that will work. But, it will. Anyway, thanks for reading!


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